Baccalaureate Nursing Education Experiences of African-Born Nurses in the United States

Background: African-born nurses are valuable members of the U.S. nursing workforce. The majority begin their nursing education in community colleges and practice as licensed practical nurses/vocational nurses (LPN/VNs) and RNs before obtaining their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. For African-born nursing students, the environment of 4-year institutions, although exciting and promising, may be overwhelming and challenging. Method: In this qualitative descriptive study, 25 African-born nurses who graduated from accredited RN-to-BSN programs over a period of 5 years were interviewed. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: Several factors including flexible curricular designs and helpful campus resources supported students' educational experiences. Factors such as financial difficulties and difficult work-family-school balances challenged them. Conclusion: The BSN curriculum is especially rigorous and demanding for foreign-born minority students. Such programs must provide appropriate resources to support students who are new to U.S. education system.